This invention relates to vehicle radio antennas, and, more particularly, to a universal type of antenna base assembly for mounting an antenna mast on a vehicle body panel in a variety of angular positions.
A wide variety of antenna base assemblies are in current use for mounting vehicle radio antenna masts to the body panels of vehicles. For example, when installed as original equipment by vehicle manufacturers, antenna base assemblies are generally designed for a specific fender contour of a particular vehicle model which, when rigidly mounted at a predetermined location on the vehicle, results in the antenna mast having the desired angular attitude. Thus, as body styling changes are made, the antenna base assembly design must also be changed to accommodate the new fender contours.
In the retail installation and replacement markets, the universal type of antenna base assembly has predominated in recent years wherein a single base assembly permits angular adjustment of the antenna mast so as to be useable with a variety of differing fender contours. Heretofore, these universal base assemblies have generally utilized a rocker anchor bracket positioned under the fender and an adjustable nut and bezel type of assembly on top of the fender which are tightened together when the antenna mast is at the desired angular attitude to sandwich the fender panel in between and thereby lock the assembly in the desired position. However, these universal base assemblies suffer from several disadvantages. First, fender vibrations during vehicle use have a tendency to loosen these mountings resulting in loose and misaligned antenna masts. In addition, while these universal base assemblies are somewhat similar in appearance to the base assemblies installed as original equipment by the major vehicle manufacturers in years past, antenna base design changes in recent years which have tended toward thinner and more streamlined base plates have rendered the appearance of these bulky universals outdated. Thus, a consumer wishing to install or replace a vehicle antenna on a recent model vehicle has been forced to either purchase an exact duplicate of the original equipment design, which is often expensive and difficult to locate, or to purchase one of the existing universals with the above design and mounting disadvantages. Moreover, the absence heretofore of a sturdy universal approximating the design of modern original equipment antenna designs has forced vehicle dealers to maintain inventories of almost all past antenna models for the various vehicle models in recent years for purposes of exact warranty replacement or for satisfying the customer who wishes exact antenna replacement on a vehicle out of warranty.
Thus, there has been a definite need for a new universal antenna base assembly which is sturdy, not subject to loosening by fender vibrations, and which can have a design appearance similar to the thin, streamlined base assemblies in use today as original equipment.